Unbroken
by Auden Grey
Summary: Cat breaks her arm in a car accident and of course, Jade and Tori are there for her.


**So this is for GrandeJustice13! She sent me a prompt where Cat breaks her arm in an accident. I hope this okay! It kind of went from being sad to happy? Anyway, I hope you like it! **

* * *

Everything hurts.

That's all Cat can really comprehend as an aging paramedic with salt and pepper hair lifts her onto the firm hospital bed, shining his bright flashlight into her frightened doe eyes. A portly nurse is at her side, tending to her small abrasions with care. She whispers to Cat that her mom and dad are on their way but Cat knows they'll go to her brother first. Sam will probably be sent away again since he was driving without a license. Cat knew better than to get in the car but she really wanted Freezy Queen and Sam was easily swayed because Freezy Queen was the only ice cream shop near by that carried funky nut blast.

It all seemed to happen in a flash. Per usual, Sam was driving over the speed limit and screaming at the trees. Cat was so used to it that it didn't faze her. She just held onto the side of the door while her brother blew through yellow lights and attempted to race with the girls next to him in a lime green VW bug. Then, Sam sped through a red light and collided with a large pick up truck.

Cat knows her right arm is broken. It's hanging limply at her side and from the one quick peek she took at it the bone is slightly protruding. She almost passed out at the sight of it. The nurse smooths her hair down and reassures her everything is going to be okay when a rather young looking doctor appears. He assesses her arm and mumbles that it's broken. Cat bites her trembling lip and just whimpers. She wants Mr. Purple. She wants her friends. They'll tell her it's all going to be okay whereas her parents will lecture her for letting Sam drive.

The doctor grabs her arm and she finally lets out a stifled sob because the pain is so agonizing it makes her want to scream hysterically until they have to sedate her or something. The kind nurse rubs her back and gives Cat her hand to squeeze but Cat pushes it away. She wants Jade and Tori and Beck. And Andre and Robbie, and at this point, even Rex.

"Cat," a gruff voice says from the doorway. It's David Vega. "Are you okay?"

Cat's head snaps up and a wave of relief washes over her. With David comes Tori, right? She shrugs shyly and wipes at her eyes with her uninjured arm.

"I dunno."

Tori appears instantly at her father's side and tries not to cry at the sight of her friend. "Cat," she breathes out. "Are you okay?"

Cat shakes her head and tries to slide off the bed. She knows Tori will make everything better. But the nurse is quick and holds Cat down while the doctor grabs her arm again. She yelps and immediately buries herself into Tori's arms once she rushes over and holds her.

"It hurts, Tori," she cries, her tiny fingers grasping at Tori's shirt.

"I know it does," Tori sighs into Cat's hair, kissing her red hair softly. She's grateful when the nurse lets her take over and steps away. She sits down next to Cat and rubs her side. "It's almost over. You'll be okay. I promise." Cat smiles at Tori because Tori never lies to her.

The doctor asks her what color she wants her cast to be, almost feeling bad for interrupting the girls' moment.

"Pink," she gets out through small sobs. "A-and yellow?"

"You got it," the doctor smiles at her, tapping her nose like she's a child.

Cat drops her head on Tori's shoulder and closes her eyes, trying to imagine a different place. The pain is still searing through her arm but she's not going to cry. She's going to be brave in front of Tori so she doesn't worry. She hates when Tori worries about her.

"I texted Jade," Tori whispers, her fingers still brushing up and down Cat's sides to keep her somewhat calm. "She said she'd be here as soon as possible."

Cat smiles and laces her fingers through Tori's. "Is it almost over?"

"Almost," Tori promises as she peers over Cat's head. The plaster is up to Cat's elbow now. "Why did you choose pink and yellow?"

"It reminds me of pink lemonade!"

Tori laughs knowingly, the smile fading from her face when she notices her father lingering in the doorway skeptically. He motions for her to come outside the room, but untangling herself from Cat is easier said than done.

"Hey, I'll be right back," she whispers, gently placing Cat's good arm in her lap.

"No, no!" Cat whimpers, trying to grab Tori to prevent her from leaving. It's hard when one arm is immobile. "Tori!"

Tori turns around and squeezes Cat's hand in reassurance. "I just have to talk to my dad, okay? I promise I'll be right back."

Cat nods with a pout and studies Tori while she disappears out the door.

Tori looks up at her father in concern. "What?"

"They're going to discharge Cat as soon as the doctor finishes," David tells his daughter. "But, but her parents are tied up with her brother. They want to charge him with reckless driving and driving with a suspended license."

"Oh," Tori sighs, tugging at her hair nervously. "They're not even going to come up and see her?"

David shakes his head. "They have to meet with the lawyers. They've already signed the discharge papers. Will you take her home?"

"Of course."

Tori revels in the comforting hug of her father and sighs against his chest. She can hear Cat crying out her name and it's breaking her heart to think the little redhead's parents would rather tend to her insane brother than their youngest child.

"Vega!" Jade and Beck come rushing down the hall, hand in hand. They're dressed in rather fancy clothes and Tori remembers it's their anniversary. Once Jade catches her breath, she practically gets in Tori's face. "How's Cat?"

"She's fine," Tori says in a whisper. She nods at her father as he goes back to check on the other Valentine. "She broke her arm but other than that, she's good."

"Thank god," Beck mumbles, fiddling with his tie. "How's her brother?"

Tori shakes her head. "That's a whole other story."

"I saw her mom," Jade says dully. "She wants us to take Cat home."

"Yeah," Tori sighs. "The police want to charge her brother for reckless driving so they have to meet with their lawyers. They haven't even come to see Cat."

Jade rolls her eyes and feels Beck squeeze her hand. "Figures."

Tori gestures for the couple to follow her into the room. Jade hesitates at first. She can't bear the thought of witnessing Cat in pain. When she finally steps in, she holds onto Beck tightly. Cat's head is hung low, watching as her feet sway back and forth. The doctor is humming quietly to himself as he finishes up with the cast on Cat's arm.

Cat looks up and almost bursts into tears. "Jade!" she cries out happily. "I broke my arm!"

"Cool," Jade chuckles, dropping Beck's hand to study Cat up close. Despite the few small cuts and dried blood, Cat thankfully looks the same. "Was there a lot of blood?"

Cat wrinkles her face in disgust. "Kind of."

Jade's eyes widen with excitement. "Awesome."

"No," Cat shakes her head. "Gross."

"How do you feel, Cat?" Beck asks with a smile. He ruffles Cat's hair and knows she's okay when she giggles.

"I'm okay," Cat admits confidently. "Just sleepy."

"We're gonna take you home soon," Tori promises, sitting back down next to her friend. Cat instantly clings on to her arm and nods.

Tori decides not to bring up her brother or parents. She figures if Cat asks, she'll make up some lie that Cat will probably not believe, but won't question it either. Jade just stares at her best friend sadly. Cat's obviously trying to stay strong for the sake of everyone because she doesn't want to make a scene. Jade knows as soon as Cat gets home, she'll start crying because she can't use her right arm for a good six weeks.

"Alright, Ms. Valentine, you're all set." The doctor pats Cat's good arm and smiles down at her. He turns to Tori. "She's all yours."

Cat studies her arm quizzically and pouts when it's stiff and numb. "I don't like this!"

"I know, baby girl," Jade whispers, lifting Cat off the bed. "But, hey, we can all sign it and make it…pretty."

"Yeah!" Cat immediately brightens, bouncing over to Beck giddily. "Look! My cast is like pink lemonade!"

Beck hugs Cat softly and laughs into her hair. "It is."

It's then that Cat realizes Beck and Jade are dressed up. "Oh, no," she starts to cry, her eyes flickering back and forth between her friends. "I, I ruined your special dinner, didn't I?"

"No," Beck's quick to say, rubbing Cat's back. "We're just glad you're okay."

Jade nods and pulls Cat into her arms. "We can always do it tomorrow. You're far more important," she whispers with a sigh, looking at her boyfriend sadly. "Do you want to come stay at my house for the night?"

"Yeah," Cat mumbles against Jade's shoulder. "Yeah."

* * *

Tori's honestly a bit surprised when Jade asks her to stay, too. She's already sent Beck home because she knows he'll hover and follow Cat around like an overprotective father. Cat doesn't let him leave until he signs her cast though. He lazily writes his name and draws a little doodle of a flower, which makes Cat squeal in excitement. Once he leaves, Jade forces Cat on the couch and leaves Tori to decorate Cat's cast with a bunch of rainbows and smiley faces. Cat just sits in contentment. Her friends are so much better than taking care of her than her parents. They always have been.

Jade returns a few minutes later with the smallest size shirt and pants she can find along with an old brown sock monkey she knows Cat likes. It's no Mr. Purple or Mr. Longneck, but it will do for the time being.

Tori and Jade share a look because they know they'll have to help Cat get into her pajamas. She's already yawning and getting restless just sitting there.

"You should go to bed, Cat," Tori says softly, twirling a piece of Cat's hair around her finger. "It's been a long night."

"No," Cat whimpers in protest. "If I go to sleep, I'll have nightmares!"

"Vega and I will be right there if you do," Jade promises. "We'll help you change and then we can go upstairs."

Cat shakes her head and stands up. "No! I can do it myself."

"Cat-"

"No, Tori!" Cat carries on tearfully. "I'm not a baby!"

Jade motions for Tori to stop and watches as Cat struggles to take off her shirt. She's got it up to her chin but can't pull it over. Tears are streaming down her face and just as Jade predicted, Cat breaks down and starts sobbing. Tori pulls Cat down in her lap and cradles her against her chest, careful of her broken arm. Cat just continues to cry about how dumb her shirt is.

"I need help," Cat finally wails in defeat. She sits up in Tori's lap and hugs the stuffed monkey when she feels Jade's warm hands sliding the shirt up her back.

Jade carefully gets Cat's good arm out the shirt and looks to Tori helplessly. Cat's still whimpering but she's calm. "Can you pull the shirt over your head, Cat?"

Cat nods and gently does as she's told. She peers down at cast and sticks her arm straight up in the air so Jade can get her arm out. It hurts. It really hurts.

"Jade!" she chastises in a high-pitched voice. "You're hurting me!"

Jade ignores Cat's cries and finally removes the shirt. Tori shoots her a thumbs up but frowns when Jade throws the pajama shirt at her. "All yours, Vega."

The shirt's surprisingly easier to get over Cat's head. She's so tired and fading fast that all the struggling she put up before is gone. Jade's rubbing her back comfortingly and she doesn't even blink when Tori changes her pants bashfully.

"Bed," Jade demands, pointing to the stairs. Cat nods in agreement and drags her tired body up the stairs. Jade looks at Tori with a smirk. "I hope you got your beauty sleep last night, Vega."

"Why?" Tori asks nervously.

Jade's eyebrows dance around in amusement. "You'll see."

* * *

"Your bed's so lumpy, Jade," Cat complains with a pout.

Tori muffles her groan and glances at Jade's clock. It's almost one a.m. and Cat's spent half the night rolling around trying to get comfortable. She can't sleep straight on her back but because of her arm she has no choice. It's propped up on a random ruffled pillow Jade found in her linen closet but it's still not making Cat comfortable.

"Go to sleep," Jade hisses without opening her eyes. She feels Cat shift around again and bites back the annoyed scream rising in her throat. "Now."

Cat's bottom lip wobbles as she shuffles closer to Tori. "I can't!"

"Caaat," Tori whines, her tone eerily similar to Cat's. "Please."

"Kay, kay," Cat whispers in defeat, fiddling with the arm of the stuffed monkey Jade gave to her. "Night, night." She stares straight up at the ceiling and sighs into the stuffed animal. Jade's room is so dark and dreary. There's not a trace of light anywhere and it honestly terrifies her. She tilts her head to the right and can just make out Jade's sleeping figure next to her. She's breathing softly and Cat can't help but smile. Jade looks like a harmless puppy while sleeping. On the other side, Tori's snoring pretty audibly. Cat giggles and thinks of all the times Tori's protested she doesn't snore. But oddly enough, Tori's snoring helps her fall asleep. It's kind of comforting.

The next morning, Jade wakes to find herself tangled with Tori. She immediately pulls away and vows never to tell how she woke up with her head buried in the crook of Tori's neck. She leaves the brunette sleeping and fumbles out of bed, keeping an eye out for Cat. She knows Cat's an early riser and for once, she's upset Cat didn't wake her. The thought of Cat trying to do things with a broken arm without supervision is unsettling.

When she gets in the dimly lit hallway, Jade can hear the faint sound of crying coming from her bathroom. She sighs because she knows it's Cat. When she gets to the bathroom, she finds Cat sitting in the middle of the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Jade frowns and knocks on the slightly ajar door to get Cat's attention. Cat looks up tearfully and sniffles.

"Did I wake you?"

"No," Jade whispers with a head shake. "What's wrong?"

Cat wipes her eyes and hugs her knees tighter. "I can't do anything!" she moans with a trembling lip. "I can't even do my hair."

"It will take a while to get used to," Jade says, suppressing a yawn. She slides down next to Cat and rubs her back. "Don't get worked up over it." Her tone is kind of snippy but Cat pays no mind to it. She's used to it.

"I just don't want to be completely useless," Cat admits in a tiny voice. She looks at Jade and snuggles close. "Will you do my hair?"

Jade frowns because she's not one of those girls who really knows what to do with other people's hair. In fact, she hates touching other people's hair. "Um…"

"Please!" Cat begs with a pout. "I just want to put it in a ponytail."

"Fine, fine," Jade rolls her eyes, reaching up for the brush on the bathroom counter. She pulls Cat up and turns her around. Cat squeals and tries not to yelp when Jade runs the brush through her hair harshly. "Stay still!" Jade demands when Cat's body jerks back from Jade's forceful brushing.

"You're hurting me!"

"Your hair is so knotted," Jade complains with a slight whine. She's finally able to throw Cat's hair in a ponytail and purposely pulls it tight so Cat will wince. "There," she says dully, placing the brush back on the counter. "You're welcome."

Cat blinks rapidly; her hair is all bumpy and most of it is already falling out of the ponytail. But rather than say anything, she turns around and hugs Jade tightly, smiling when the older girl hugs her back.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade mumbles, pushing Cat back a little. Her cast is digging into her back and it actually kind of hurts. She'd never tell Cat though. "Go wake Vega up so she can help you get dressed."

"How come you can't do it?"

"I don't want to," Jade shrugs simply.

Cat shoves her broken arm in Jade's face with a grin. "Wait! You still didn't sign my cast yet? I saved a big spot for you!"

"Fine," Jade hisses grumpily. "I'll sign the stupid thing."

Jade drags Cat down the stairs and into the living room, lifting the couch cushions to find the black sharpie she had given Cat last night. When she finds it, she motions for Cat to sit and look away.

"Oh! Is it a surprise?" Cat questions in excitement. She shimmies in her seat and focuses her gaze on the white curtains on the window.

Jade takes her time drawing a pair of scissors after signing her name. She draws some skulls and other scary things Cat will probably pout about. Then, she gets a devious glint in her eyes and writes one more thing before standing up.

"There."

Cat squeals and peers at the cast, her eyes nearly popping out of her head at what Jade has drawn _and _written. "Jade! You wrote a bad word!"

"I write what I feel," Jade says with a simple shrug. "It's not even that bad."

"You, you wrote…"

"I wrote hurry the hell up and get better," Jade rolls her eyes. "I could have written a lot worse than that."

Cat sighs and cradles her cast. "Okay."

Tori shuffles down the stairs and Jade automatically snickers at her appearance.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

"You look like you got electrocuted," Cat giggles as Tori self-consciously runs a hand through her messy hair. "One time, my brother stuck a fork in the toaster to see what would happen."

"Anyway," Jade cuts in before Cat can spend the next fifteen minutes yammering on about her brother.

Tori yawns and sits down next to Cat, ruffling her hair in affection. Cat giggles and snuggles close. "How are you feeling?"

"Good!" Cat admits honestly. She runs her fingers over the hard plaster and smiles a bit. Jade sits down on the other side and admires her handy work. "I think after I get used to it I won't want to take it off. It's kinda cool!"

"Yeah," Jade says, moving away when Cat begins to swing her arm all around.

"I mean, you guys will help me write my homework, right? Oh! And help me get dressed and make my hair pretty and Jade! You can do my makeup, okay?" Then, she giggles shyly into her hands. "I might need help washing my hair."

Tori and Jade stand up and look at each other nervously. "Yeaaaaah," Tori agrees reluctantly. "Of course."

"Who wants to braid my hair?" Cat asks from the couch. "Then! Whoever doesn't braid my hair can help me get dressed. This is gonna be fun. It will be like having two assistants."

Cat continues to giggle while Jade and Tori stare helplessly at one another. It was going to be a long six weeks.


End file.
